Monday, January 28, 2013

Heidi Reviews Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Days of Blood and Starlight

Hardcover, 517 pagesPublished November 6th 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free ofbloodshed and war.This is not that world.Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has alwayssought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comesanother truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayedher, and a world suffered for it.In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou mustdecide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty,secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva onopposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akivawages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

This review was first posted at Rainy Day Ramblings.A stunning series!Karou finds herself thrust back into the world of the Chimaera. She works tirelessly toaid the rebels led by the White Wolf. After the treacherous betrayal by Akiva, she hasturned her back on love and the chance to build a new world. Now she takes upBrimstone's trade and crafts new soldiers. The war is relentless, bloody and neverending. The battles have taken a cruel twist as the innocents on both sides areslaughtered. This heartless bloodshed is causing warriors, chimaera and seraphimalike to rethink their actions, but the heartless leaders press on and insist on moreslaughter. Can there ever be peace?What I Liked:• Once again, I loved immersing back into Laini Taylor's world of chimaera andseraphim. The world building continues to be masterful and astonishing in this series.I am so impressed by the intricate and detailed world Ms. Taylor has crafted and that itcontinues to stir the imagination.• I am happy to say that this book does not suffer from a second book syndrome. Thestory in some ways is more engaging and more complex and it is has a number ofstunning twists. It is much darker, though and instead of a love story this one plungesyou right into the trenches of war. It is dark and sorrowful and a horrific picture of theevils of war. But there is always that shimmer of hope.....that possibly after all thehorror, sorrow, bloodshed, heartache and death there can and will be a new world....• Karou's growth in this novel is tremendous. She has recovered her memories fromher former life and she is in the middle of the never ending war. She struggles withthe past, knowing she gave her heart to the one who helped destroy her people. Sheis bitter, sad and determined. She is far removed from the fun, care free, somewhatrebellious teenager we met in Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Now she is a fiercewoman bent on helping her people, yet her heart bears an enormous burden of sorrowand shame.• I loved that this book gives us a plentiful dose of Mik and Zusanna. The two love birdsbring some lighthearted comedic relief to the book, and definitely help to lighten up themood with their fun and witty banter. I liked how determined Zusanna is to find herfriend, even if it means believing the unbelievable. It was also nice to see theirromance in full bloom. The pair are a shining beacon of light and love amidst thechaos.• This is one of those books that you need to set aside plenty of time for as it is full ofcliffhanger chapter endings. If you pick this up thinking you can read just a couple ofchapters, you are wrong. Time and time again, there is a dramatic chapter ending thatwill have you saying, I can't leave it on that note, just one more chapter....The storyline is riveting and there are some big surprises! The plot is also intricate and complexand I was left eager for the next installment.

Without a doubt, The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Series has become one of myabsolute favorite series ever! The writing is amazing, the world building top notch, andthere are riveting story lines and memorable characters. I am stunned at how talentedand amazing Laini Taylor is. If you have not yet experienced her work, do yourself afavor and pick up her books immediately! She is a writer you do not want to miss! I canhonestly say that I will be on auto buy for anything she writes in the future!

Favorite Quotations:"It was one of those dreams that invade the space between seconds, proving sleep hasits own physics--- where time shrinks and swells, lifetimes unspool in a blink, and citiesburn to to ash in a mere flutter of lashes.""Or...perhaps Fate laid out your life for you like a dress on a bed, and you could eitherwear it or go naked.""These weren't her folk, but....they were, and maybe that meant that anyone could beanyone's, which was a sort of nice thing to think, with the world falling apart.""The fox solider had been Madrigal's friend once, and her soul was the touch of sunsetand laughter, with a bite like the sting of nettles; Haxaya was someone you wanted onyour side...""It is bodies that make us real. What is a soul without eyes to look through, or hands tohold?""She smelled of the river and trembled like a breeze on a butterfly's wing, and Ziricradled her as if she were their world's last hope. And maybe she was.""You've always felt the truth in him, then and now. Your heart is not wrong. Your heartis your strength."

Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book. All opinions are my own and I was notcompensated for this review.